In 1944, a small Yorkshire terrier named Smoky was found in an abandoned foxhole in New Guinea. Corporal Bill Wynne purchased the dog for $2 and they became inseparable. She once saved his life when she warned him of an incoming shell when they were on the deck of a transport. Eight men were killed by the shell. Wynne was in an Air Force search and rescue and photo reconnaissance squadron. Smoky would fly on missions on board the PBY Catalinas. She survived many bombing raids on their air base. She learned to do tricks and once was parachuted out of a tree. She was great for morale, but was also a valuable member of the unit. Her greatest feat of bravery was when she pulled a telegraph wire through a 70 foot long pipe during a heavy bombardment. She saved many men several days of digging. She was voted Champion Mascot of the Southwest Pacific by Yank Down Under magazine. After the war she did pioneering work as a therapy dog at veterans’ hospitals and did some acting work.
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